The New York Police Department said on Tuesday that it has disbanded a unit that had been criticized for profiling Muslim residents in certain neighborhoods in New York City and New Jersey and will assign its duties to other units.

The DemographicsUnit, which was later renamed the Zone Assessment Unit, was created in the wake of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks but has largely been inactive since January, according to NYPD spokesman Stephen Davis.

Mr. Davis said the unit was disbanded after a review by Police Commissioner William Bratton determined its work could be accomplished by other units in the department.

The unit’s detectives, members of the NYPD’s Intelligence Bureau, have been reassigned to other posts within the bureau, officials said.

Mr. Davis said demographics are a useful factor in understanding threats, but that much of the information gathered by the unit could be obtained through other outreach programs.

Mayor Bill de Blasio, who had made actions of the unit an issue on the campaign trail during last year’s mayoral election, praised the decision.

“Our administration has promised the people of New York a police force that keeps our city safe, but that is also respectful and fair,” the mayor said.